Days:Hours:Minutes
by witchyred
Summary: A sort of continuation of my story 'The Coffin'... what happens after Gibbs leaves...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Totally not mine. Wished it was tho... _sigh..._ GAbby rocks!**

**A/N: Anything in italics represents thought. Also, the time format goes as Days:Hours:Minutes. (Note the story's title, lol!) This is sort of an 'addition' to my previous story "The Coffin..." So if you haven't read that, it's not a big deal, b/c I'm sure you'll still be able to follow. (Hopefully!) ;-) **

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**Chapter 1**

It had been 4 long days, 8 excruciating hours, 20 pain-staking minutes and he had no bloody idea how many seconds since he had left Abby sleeping so peacefully in her coffin. The time was engraved on his heart. (4:8:20) He didn't know if leaving her the ticket was a good idea or not. And frankly, doing so had scared the hell out of him, but he also knew he couldn't not leave it... so either way, he was screwed. And good. He tried to pass the days... but they were awfully long without her.

_5:13:55... Damn..._

Once he thought back on the mess that was his life... ex's that tried to maim him. A solid rep as a total bastard that no one even tried to deny because it was true. Lonely nights working on a boat just for the hell of it. People that went out of their way to avoid him. The people that he was closest to... he'd never even told them about Kelly and Shannon and... He sighed. Abby was a sweet girl, and she didn't need a mess like him. Not to mention that she may not have even understood what his offer had meant and... He sighed again. None of these thoughts were doing him any good.

_6:11:03... Time moves so slowly..._

He tried to brush useless thoughts from his head. Like the time, or what she thought when she woke up and found the note and ticket. Then a guilty feeling rushed through him because any thought of Abby's or any thought OF Abby was NOT a useless thought at all.

He stared a lot at the ocean.

_7:15:45... she has a life, she has things to do, and work and..._

He swore, every now and again, that he could almost make out shapes on the distant horizon. That deeper blue line that separated water and land was his focal point. Every time the ocean looked grey, he thought of Abby and her cute way of calling him her silver-haired fox. He wondered how true it was to her... or if she was just being her usual adorable self. Then he swore to himself because he just thought of the word 'adorable'. But... it was so clearly Abby, so then he decided it was a good thing, and left it alone.

_8:4:32... What? You thought it would go faster?_

He wondered... what was she doing? Would she come? Or would she just leave him to his thoughts? He had promised her that he would come back... maybe she didn't want to disturb him. That could be it. She knew he was sometimes all "mister cranky-pants". Maybe she figured he'd only left the ticket to appease her, and he didn't really want her to use it, and...

He wondered when his brain had made the transition to 'Abby thinking' without his realizing it.

He decided to stop watching the time. It was silly. She had the ticket, and the free choice to come or go. She had a life. People adored her, and she had no shortage of admirers. Why would she come to meet an old man in Mexico, any ways? He tried to convince himself that the thought didn't sting, and didn't bother him. The pale girl from London on vacation with her boyfriend that made him think of Abby... he tried to ignore her, even though he did sort of start up a mild friendship with her. She seemed to get that he was preoccupied with something, and he just hoped she didn't take it too personally.

_9:13:13... heh... double 13's... wouldn't Abbs just love that?_

_Damnit._

His head was so full of her... she haunted his every waking moment... every pale-skinned, black haired girl was Abbs. He thought of her tattoos. Her laugh. Her smile. The way her eyes would get big when she was bursting to tell him something. The way she could talk your ear off without barely taking a breath. Sometimes he would swear he could see her... walking up the beach towards him, smiling shyly and... He lowered his head, tried to will his emotions into check. This would do him no good. She was too sweet... too open... she was far too good for him. It was better that she hadn't come. When he went back, he'd bring her souvenirs and tell her made-up stories about how great his trip was. He wouldn't think of all this again...

_9:13:59... fuck... _


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Totally not mine. Wished it was tho... _sigh..._ GAbby rocks!**

**A/N: Anything in italics represents thought. Also, the time format goes as Days:Hours:Minutes. (Note the story's title, lol!) This is sort of an 'addition' to my previous story "The Coffin..." So if you haven't read that, it's not a big deal, b/c I'm sure you'll still be able to follow. (Hopefully!) ;-)**

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**Chapter 2**

When Abby had woken up, she had been alone in her coffin. The scent of sawdust still hung in the air, and a note was next to her. When she read what Gibbs had written, she smiled tearfully. Then she saw the ticket. And her heart skipped a beat.

_Could it mean? _

_Did he want? _

_Was he?_

But she wasn't sure. What if he had only left it because he figured she was too upset for him to take off without having some way of getting back in touch with him? She didn't know, and she didn't know if she should say anything to anyone, so she kept the ticket under her pillow, and thought about it. He hadn't been gone long... she didn't want to rush off in case it wasn't what she thought it was and...

_Steady Abbs... it's been what? Maybe about... say 2 hours, or so? Give it time! Patience is a virtue!_

So she waited.

A big case had come in the very next day... Tony was determined to prove his worth as team leader, and was working them extra hard. He had yelled at her once already for babbling on and he hadn't even brought her a Caff-Pow! If she hadn't know how nervous he was, and how much he wanted to prove to the Director that he was ready, willing, and able to fill Gibbs's shoes, she would have given him a HUGE piece of her mind. As it was, she just doubled her efforts and survived on Caff-Pows snuck into her by Jimmy, and power-bars stolen from the break room. She hadn't even been home to sleep in her own bed, and when she finally did get the chance to go home and pass out... she did just that. When she awoke and felt the edge of the ticket... she pulled it out and looked at it.

_5 days... give or take what? 6-7 hours? Since I last thought of this..._

She wondered what he was doing. Was he thinking of her? Probably not. She kept thinking of him... seemed like everything made her think of him... and almost every song she played seemed to have some sort of hidden message to her, and... Well, he was most likely fishing and drinking beer, and that was alright. She hoped he was having fun. She hoped he was well. She hoped that maybe he did miss her... that maybe he would call, or something. She didn't want to just barge on in on him... so she threw herself into her work, and tried not to dwell.

It was a lot harder than it sounded.

_7 days. 12 hours. Almost 13. That would've been cool..._

Tony had been shot. Through and through to the arm, no 'real' damage, according to Ducky, but he still went to the hospital any ways. Most thoughts had flown her mind as she frantically worried over Tony... it wasn't until she saw him pouting at a nurse who was trying to convince him he didn't require a sponge-bath, was she convinced that he was truly ok. Ziva kept trying to tell her it was fine, but Abby had needed to see for herself. She was tired of losing everyone she loved...


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Totally not mine. Wished it was tho... _sigh..._ GAbby rocks!**

**A/N: Anything in italics represents thought. Also, the time format goes as Days:Hours:Minutes. (Note the story's title, lol!) This is sort of an 'addition' to my previous story "The Coffin..." So if you haven't read that, it's not a big deal, b/c I'm sure you'll still be able to follow. (Hopefully!) ;-)**

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**Chapter 3**

He sat there, knees drawn up, arms wrapped around them... watching as the sun bled into the ocean. The sky was various shades of indigo and purples, mixed in with some grey, and streaks of pink and gold. The deeper, darker colours made him smile and think of Abby. He was sure she would appreciate how they smoothed out the horizon and crept along, like dark arms wrapping around you. He heaved a deep sigh.

_9:14:25... _

A slight breeze blew up... for half a second, he swore he could smell the unique blend of flowers and gunpowder that was Abby's signature home-made perfume. But then the breeze drifted away, and the scent was carried off with it. He shook his head. He was losing it... now even the wind was going to make him think of her!

_9:14:32..._

He sighed again. He didn't know why he was staying. There wasn't anything for him here. He needed to be there... where she was. He couldn't help it. He was a greedy man. He wouldn't expect her to be his, but he would damn well remain her friend, and in her life, and she would never be rid of him that way. He needed to go home. He could work on his boat, while she sat there in the basement with him, telling him all about her latest date, and asking his opinion on whether she should wear the red or the black dog collar and... He sighed once more. Yea, he was definitely lovesick over her... but he didn't care. Just as long as she was near, he'd be happy. He had no other choice.

_9:14:48..._

He could hear music far off... he recognized the song... some band from Toronto that was supposed to be Industrial music, but he thought it sounded awfully pop-like. He remembered fondly how Abbs had shivered and vehemently denied any such thing, and then lectured/introduced him to the joy of... damn... what was their name again? He knew the song... or at least, if his hearing wasn't going, he did.

_**The tragic comedy divine,**_

_**Paints the way to peace of mind.**_

_**Leaving shallow lovers far behind.**_

_**Past uncertainties combine.**_

_**Bringing tears to sleepless eyes.**_

_**Memory runs the course of time.**_

_**Blood runs cold beyond the violet prison, for violent visions.**_

_**And so the broken record plays, as you throw us away.**_

_**We're never enough,**_

_**We're drowning in clichés.**_

_**So desperate to love,**_

_**We're twisting every word they say.**_

_**So we sleep through the days.**_

_**Within the heat of passions war,**_

_**Lust is spilled upon the floor. **_

_**Staining red the wasted metaphor.**_

_**The selfish need for something more,**_

_**Claws in vain at closing doors.**_

_**Scarring faces once adored.**_

_**Tracing circles in the violet prison, for violent visions.**_

_**And so the broken record plays, as you throw us away.**_

_**We're never enough,**_

_**We're drowning in clichés.**_

_**So desperate to love,**_

_**We're twisting every word they say.**_

**_So we sleep through the days._**

He smiled. The Birthday Massacre! How could he forget a name like that? The song made him think of Abbs. He looked around, to see where it was coming from. He saw the London girl and her boyfriend… they were having a picnic down the beach… he was chasing her around, and she was laughing, head thrown back, enjoying herself. Damn. She looked so much like Abbs.

_9:15:00… give it up, old man. Let go._

He looked away, a slight lump in his throat. Friend. He was her friend. And he would go home, and be her friend, and... Damnit. He wanted to hit something... he wanted to go to her and make her understand that she belonged with him. He would do anything for her... he would cherish her always... he... wasn't worthy of a beautiful woman like his Abbs.

"They say everyone has a twin... most people though, never meet theirs. How cool is it that mine is just down this beach? Think I should go over there and say hello? And check the tunes, Gibbs. She's got TASTE. So... um... miss me?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Totally not mine. Wished it was tho... _sigh..._ GAbby rocks!**

**A/N: Anything in italics represents thought. Also, the time format goes as Days:Hours:Minutes. (Note the story's title, lol!) This is sort of an 'addition' to my previous story "The Coffin..." So if you haven't read that, it's not a big deal, b/c I'm sure you'll still be able to follow. (Hopefully!) ;-)**

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**Chapter 4**

_9:15:02... was he hallucinating now?_

He slowly turned, and there stood Abby. She looked slightly dishevelled. Her clothes were rumpled. Her pig tails were coming undone. Her makeup was smudged. She realized he was staring, and she self consciously tried to smooth down her hair and clothes, smiling weakly all the while, as she explained that she'd just up and gone without much forethought or planning, and... she'd trailed off, nervous at his expression, which was still shocked, but also very unreadable right now.

"Gibbs! I know I look a fright! Please don't stare. You're making me nervous and I'm having a serious Caff-Pow withdrawal, and you know me... I get a little twitchy if I don't get my daily doses and... You're still staring at me, Gibbs. What gives?"

"You do not 'look a fright'. You're beautiful Abbs. Never doubt that. Ever. I... just can't believe you're here."

She smiled then... a shy smile. "I hope you don't mind. I didn't just want to barge in on your vacation, and..." she trailed off, seeing a slight frown on his face. He stood quietly... "Why are you here, Abbs? Just to hang out with a friend? Spend some time in the sun, with me?" Abby wasn't sure what to make of this... Gibbs had a most unusual very un-Gibbs-like look on his face. And the tone of voice... he sounded...

_Hurt?_

She thought back... back to the hospital, and being worried over Tony. She swore that she wasn't going to let anyone walk away from her any more without them knowing just how she felt about them. She had grabbed Ziva in a bear hug, and told her that despite the fact that sometimes they didn't get along, she really respected her. Then she had grabbed McGee and told him that he was a good agent, and a good man, and she knew he'd do great things. She told Ducky that he was a total sweetheart, and she would always love him... he was the heart and soul of their 'family'. Jimmy was told that he was a very astute and smart man, and once he got his confidence up more, he'd do great things as well. Then she hugged Tony as tightly as she dared, and told him she was taking off on a vacation, and even though she loved him, if he tried to stop her, she knew how to cover up a crime and she would NOT hesitate to do so.

She'd left straightaway. She hadn't even really taken the time to pack properly. She'd just thrown a couple of things into a duffle bag, and hoped that she wouldn't need much more than what she had thought to bring. If Gibbs was going to come to her... leave her notes and plane tickets to Mexico... then he must want her there for reasons unrelated to friendship. He must NEED her there. Or, she hoped, any ways.

"Gibbs?"

He smiled... "Hey, I'm glad for the company, Abbs. I haven't been doing too much. But now I've got a good reason to get out." Now it was her turn to frown. He saw, but he wasn't sure what to make of it. He stood there, watching her, watching him. She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes... almost as if she was sizing him up. Suddenly, a smile graced her features... and then she did something very unexpected.

Abby strode forward, and grabbed Gibbs's face... she pressed her lips to his, and prayed that she wasn't making the biggest mistake of her life.

His first thought was that _'Abbs is kissing me!'_ His next thought was that her lips were very sweet and soft. Then his next was _'is that her tongue?'_ He hadn't felt like this since he was kissing his very first girl.

Abby allowed her tongue to gently trace the seam of Gibbs's lips before gently delving inside. She coaxed his tongue to move against hers, and tilted her head slightly, deepening the kiss. Her hands tangled in his hair, she sighed against his lips, and pressed her hips closer to him.

She was in heaven.

Gibbs realized that she was enjoying herself. He realized that she wanted this. It was just blowing his mind that it was HIM she wanted.

Abby felt Gibbs truly respond to her kiss after a few long seconds. It seemed to go on forever and forever, and she truly didn't mind, except that too soon, he was pulling away from her, panting slightly. "Abbs?" She heard all the unasked questions in his voice, and she smiled at him.

"The truth, ok? I love you. I think I might have always loved you. I'm not sure anymore. The so-called 'jokes' about your hair? Not jokes. I like it. It's sexy. Your hands give me shivers. I think about all the places they could touch, and the things they would make me feel. I've wondered for months what kind of a kisser you were. You always gave me such sweet ones... but always on the forehead, finger, or cheek... never an honest-to-goodness, lip to lip to tongue to tongue kiss. I have long, drawn-out, complicated daydreams about you. I look forward to seeing you every day. Even when you're complaining and grouchy. Because if I don't see you... then my day isn't worth anything. I freaked when you got blown up. I cried for hours, sitting by your bed whenever the Director would allow me. It hurt me to see you lying there, hurt and confused and not being able to do anything about it. When I thought you were leaving for good? I didn't take it too well. As you well know. And when you showed up at my place, and climbed into my coffin with me? It was perfect. Till I woke up, and you were gone. But you left a ticket. So I thought maybe. And then I figured had to be. And if we hadn't had that case come in, and then if Tony hadn't gotten shot, I would have probably got her a lot sooner, and damnit. I'm not going to let you push me away anymore. You made the first move... now you're stuck with me. So tough luck, Gibbs! I'm here now and I'm not goi-"...

He watched amazed, as she started into an explanation that suddenly became more and more wordy and complicated and finally, he'd simply began kissing her again to shut her up. After another long kiss, she breathlessly looked up at him and began to accuse him. "You did that on purpose to shut me up Gibbs, didn't you!"

He only chuckled in response.

As she opened her mouth to launch another 'attack', he took advantage of the situation to kiss her again. Only to have her loudly admonish him to stop kissing her. He released her, and gave her a serious look.

"It's been 9 days. 15 hours..." he paused to glance at his watch... "and 49... no, make that 50 minutes since I left you. I kept thinking you wouldn't want me. I've fallen in love with you Abbs. And I don't know when or how, but maybe I've always loved you too, because Lord knows I've allowed you to pretty well do as you've wished with little-to-no consequences. And now? Now that you've kissed me like that? Do you really think I'm going to let you go now? You've made your choice. You came to me. Now you're mine. So yes... I did kiss you to shut you up because I really don't want to talk any more... not when I could be kissing you."

It wasn't very poetic. He didn't look sorry for saying that he was trying to shut her up. He wasn't bearing flowers, or candy or anything sweet or romantic like that. But to Abby, the moment couldn't have been more perfect... or heartfelt. She melted back into his embrace with a soft "oh Gibbs!" as his lips crushed into hers. And even though she wasn't a romance and girly-girly type... she felt exactly like one of those romance novel heroines who's being kissed within an inch of her life in the arms of the handsome and dashing knight or Prince or whatever. And she liked it. As the sun melted into the cool blue-grey waters of the ocean, and the music and laughter from the other couple slowly faded away into the night as she was wrapped in Gibbs's embrace, Abby couldn't have been happier than if she'd just found out that Bert had himself a baby farting hippo in some sort of weird farting hippo miracle and...

"Abby?"

"Mmmm?"

"Did you say DiNozzo got shot?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Totally not mine. Wished it was tho... _sigh..._ GAbby rocks!**

**A/N: Anything in italics represents thought. Also, the time format goes as Days:Hours:Minutes. (Note the story's title, lol!) This is sort of an 'addition' to my previous story "The Coffin..." So if you haven't read that, it's not a big deal, b/c I'm sure you'll still be able to follow. (Hopefully!) ;-)**

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**Chapter 5**

_5 hours... 30 minutes... God, she's beautiful..._

In the past 5 and ½ hours, Abby had told him all about everything before she left. From her waking up, still smelling sawdust in the air, and knowing he'd be gone, to their first (and big) case that they solved in record time. She told him about DiNozzo's 'official' promotion, and Ziva refusing to call him Boss. She talked about working her butt off (at which point he'd surprised himself by taking a long moment to check her butt out and getting a sweet blush from her as his response) and about the new case that ended up with Tony getting shot. "So let me get this straight... a new case comes in, and in the midst of going over the scene, Tony was shot? By the perp who was still there and hiding? How in the hell..." Abby shrugged. "You left us, Gibbs. A lot of people are off their game right now. Tony tries to keep it all together, but... well... he isn't the bastard you're known to be. Any ways... apparently the cop on the scene who secured it was a rookie. No one bothered to recheck it, and when Tony got in there, apparently the perp had been sweating it out under the bed for about 3 hours. He got a little antsy..." Gibbs shook his head. It was a dangerous enough job without rookie mistakes. But... those were the pitfalls of working in law enforcement.

She saw the look on his face... the one that said such a thing wouldn't have happened on his watch, but that still, it was a dangerous profession and you knew what you were getting into when you signed up for it. She hugged him tightly. "You can always come back, you know." He shook his head in the negative. "Not yet. Maybe not ever. I don't know if I can do that anymore, Abbs." He trailed off... lost in his thoughts. She took the moment to study him. When she had first walked up the beach, she'd noted that he looked about the way that she felt... lost, alone... scared. Now he looked tired. She too, was coming down. The euphoric high she'd had while coming to him had drained away, leaving her feeling more tired than she'd ever thought possible. She wrapped her arms around him, and nuzzled him playfully. "Not too sound too forward, but... can you please take me to bed now?" He'd chuckled gently, and then stood, offering her a hand. Together, they walked off to the little beach house where he was staying. He simply threw back the covers, and tucked in her, fully clothed. Then he too climbed in, and snuggled into her. Together, they drifted off on the tide of sleep...

_15 hours of being with him... god, I'm so happy..._

Abby's first thoughts on waking were usually of the 'hap-hap-happy' variety. Waking up next to Gibbs? Astronomically happy. She was pretty sure about a half-dozen Caff-Pow's couldn't produce this much happiness... definitely the peppiness, but the genuine happiness? _Nah... Not likely._ She was tucked neatly into him, and when she tried to move, she found he had her pretty well pinned. She wiggled gently again, not wanting to disturb him. He cracked open one blue eye and peered blearily at her... "Abbs? What are you doing?" Seeing he was awake, and feeling slightly guilty that it was her wiggling around that had woken him, she began to babble slightly at him...

Till he rolled onto her completely and kissed her so thoroughly that his mouth on hers was all she could think of.

When the kiss broke, he noticed that Abbs was in a world of her own, eyes glazed over with lust and longing, lips swollen from his assault, looking well-kissed. It made him smile. He gently brushed a strand of black hair away from her pale cheek, and smiled down at her. "Abbs?" His voice broke her trance, and she looked up at him, half amused, and half annoyed. "Every time I try to babble at you, are you going to kiss me like that?" He looked thoughtful for a moment... "maybe..." her slight huff of annoyance made him chuckle. "Not funny Jethro! That's just rude, and ya know, I've got total kitten-breath, and you're lying on top of me and I have to pee and..." another kiss silenced her once more. She didn't try to fight it, so he knew she wasn't really that annoyed with it. In fact, the more he kissed her, the more her hands would tangle in his hair and she'd press herself into him.

_What a way to wake up... I could get used to this..._


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Totally not mine. Wished it was tho... _sigh..._ GAbby rocks!**

**A/N: Anything in italics represents thought. Also, the time format goes as Days:Hours:Minutes. (Note the story's title, lol!) This is sort of an 'addition' to my previous story "The Coffin..." So if you haven't read that, it's not a big deal, b/c I'm sure you'll still be able to follow. (Hopefully!) ;-) Also, the song I've mentioned/used (Chap 3 and mentioned in this one) is called 'Violet' by The Birthday Massacre. **

**Just seems so GAbby, ya know? **

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**Chapter 6**

_It had been 4 weeks since Gibbs walked out. Almost 3 weeks since his 'official promotion'. About 2 weeks since he'd got shot and Abby had gone off to Gibbs._

Tony hadn't realized he'd been keeping track, till Ziva had passed some comment about wondering when Abby would be back because she'd been gone forever it seemed like, and Tony realized it had been about 2 wks since she'd gone and...

_I miss her. Gibbs too. _

Being the boss was great. Tony loved the new challenges offered up to him as team leader. But he did miss Gibbs. He wondered if the Boss would ever come back... and what would happen then, as technically Tony would have to be demoted to put Gibbs back in where he belonged. And although Tony most certainly didn't mean it that way, he didn't want to see that happen.

Trying to ignore the sudden selfish thoughts in his head, and the slight throbbing from his shoulder (he was supposed to be wearing it in a sling but screw that... he could deal...) and missing his friends, Tony wasn't feeling too up to par, this particular morning. He sat back in his chair and propped up his feet on his desk, closing his eyes for a moment.

"DiNozzo! Is that any way to run your team? Sitting around with your feet up and eyes closed while they work their asses off for you?"

Tony was up like a shot, eyes flown open in surprise as he regarded a very tan Gibbs standing before him and looked quite amused, as he held the hand of a (slightly tanned) Abby who looked just as equally amused. "Hey Boss-Tony-man. Miss me?" Tony wasn't sure who he should acknowledge first... so he just stood there, looking back and forth between the two for long seconds. Then he saw it... and he knew what he should say first...

"Hey Abbs... is that an engagement ring?"

_3 hours... god I missed laughing with her..._

Tony had called it an official day of 'screwing around', and despite Gibbs's raised eyebrow at his call of the day, he hadn't said a word as everyone trooped down to regroup in Abby's lab for the official update on what had been going on, and if that really was an engagement ring Abby was wearing or not.

Turns out it was.

To be honest, Tony wasn't as surprised as the rest of the team. Neither was Ducky. Both had always pretty well known that the Boss-man's feelings for his lab-rat ran pretty damn deep. McGee had been a bit uncomfortable at first... and then he finally just blurted out to Abby that he was happy for her, and was sort of seeing someone. When Abby asked who, he could only gesture weakly to Ziva.

Now that had turned out to be the real shocker of the moment...

Finally, Tony had pulled Gibbs aside, and asked him the question he'd been dreading. "So um... are you coming back, Boss?"

Gibbs wasn't surprised to hear Tony ask the question. It was the same question he had been asking himself. The same question Abbs had asked him. The question of the damn day. (Next to asking Abby if that really was an engagement ring and was that really a tan?) It wasn't until Jen walked into the room, smiling broadly and telling everyone she'd heard a rumour about Gibbs's being around that he'd really felt the urge to answer it. But seeing her, Madam Director, he realized something. He couldn't do this anymore. He could consult on cases. He could be their friend. But he couldn't work here. Not yet. When Jen asked him the question of the day (as he'd begun calling it in his head), he was finally able to answer.

Turns out Abby's tan, the relationship of McGee and Ziva, and his engagement to Abbs were not the only shockers of the day.

Hours later, after much pizza and talking, there was a comfortable lull in the conversation, as everyone was sprawled about Abby's lab. She hopped up to pop in one of her favourite CD's, and the same song he'd heard on the beach that had made him think of Abbs had began playing. He watched as she bopped and sang along... the words made him think of how they'd come together. He had, in fact, tried to throw her away... only to realize his mistake and leave her that ticket. And true enough, the desperation to love, the past uncertainties, and everything else... it all came together to bring them together. And solidify them. Quiet hours talking under moonlight had brought them closer together, just as well as the hours playing in the sun and surf had. Standing and crossing the room suddenly, he went and wrapped his arms around her, swaying in time to the music. As the song ended he dropped a kiss on her neck, and whispered into her ear... "You're more than enough, Abbs. More than enough."

**The End!**


End file.
